Western Sahara Marathon 2018: 42 km of effort for 42 years of exile

Madrid, Feb 24, 2018 (SPS) - The participants in the 18th Western Sahara Marathon on 26 February will run 42 kilometres, which recall the 42 years of exile of the Sahrawi people, said the organizers.

This year's edition, which would coincide with the celebration of the 42nd anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), will be dedicated to the history of this people, forced to exile since 42 years and who have been dependent exclusively on international aid, explain the event's organizers.

Western Sahara Marathon, held in the Sahrawi refugee camps for the past 18 years, aims at shedding light on the suffering of a colonized people, despoiled of all their natural resources and deprived from their rights.

It also aims at bringing athletes from several countries closer to the generous and welcoming Sahrawi people in order to raise awareness of their situation as refugees.

In last year's edition, held from 28 February to 4 March 2017, was marked by the participation of nearly 500 athletes from more than twenty countries. (SPS)